Every January we look forward to the oddest polo of the season, played on the frozen surface of Lake St. Moritz with the Engadin mountains behind the goalposts. This year’s Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz ran from the 27th to the 29th, with nine matches on the ice, and the trophy went to Azerbaijan Land of Fire.
The winners and the awards
Azerbaijan Land of Fire lifted the St. Moritz trophy, and each member of the winning side was presented with a Cartier Tank Française watch, which makes a pleasant change from the usual rosette. The individual honours went to two familiar names. Adrian Laplacette Jr was voted Most Valuable Player, while Spencer McCarthy collected the Best Playing Patron award.
What every report does agree on is the result, and that the event again delivered a full weekend of close, fast polo in front of a crowd wrapped up against the cold.
Why snow polo is different
If you have only watched polo on summer grass, snow polo is a different animal. The ground is ice and compacted snow, the ball is bigger and inflated so that it stands out against the white, and the ponies wear special shoes to keep their footing. Teams are smaller than in the grass game, and the pitch is tighter, so the play tends to be quick and scrappy rather than long and flowing.
That is a large part of the appeal for spectators, many of whom are experiencing polo for the first time. The lake, the hotel terraces and the chalets in the background make it one of the most photogenic fixtures in the international calendar, and it has long served as the unofficial start to the year for the sport’s travelling community.
The season ahead
For those of us following from London, St. Moritz marks the point where the polo year properly begins. The Florida high-goal season is already under way in Wellington, and the first big British dates are still a few months away at Guards and Cowdray. Until then, a weekend of polo on a frozen lake is an excellent way to scratch the itch.
We will be back in the coming weeks with the latest from Wellington, where the first tournaments of the American season are about to reach their climax.
Sources: Swissglam
